Help

No account yet?
Registering is free, easy, and private.
Discuss in the forum, contribute to the Encyclopedia, build your own MyAnime lists, and more.

The List

Six of the Best 1980s Anime Space Operas

by Lynzee Loveridge, Nov 18th 2017

After decades in relative obscurity in the west, HIDIVE began streaming Legend of the Galactic Heroes, a 110-episode OVA space epic that started in 1988. The series languished on shared fansubs for nearly 30 years, likely in part to its giant episode count. The series is considered by some to be the crown jewel of 80s anime space operas, but that decade gave us plenty of other forays into the final frontier. The only thing the decade loved more than spaceships and robots was over-the-top violence, and the home video era let creators leap over boundaries that were restricted on television. The tech boom also made the impossible seem possible and the year 1999 still had a certain aura of futuristic mystery. Step into the anime wayback machine as we look at how the 80s did space exploration.

The Super Dimension Fortress MacrossMacross was a game changer when it debuted, introducing a music-filled space adventure like none other. The franchise is a medium mainstay despite its confusing and frustrating history with Harmony Gold in the U.S. The story takes place post 1999 in what is now considered our past, but the upcoming millennium seemed like a very futuristic time and place in the early 1980s. The series starts with humanity just managing to reverse-engineer a crashed alien spacecraft only to have invading aliens mistake it as the one used by their enemies. In an attempt to escape their attackers, the crew on the SDF-1 Macross end up warping to the solar system's far reaches and have to navigate their way back. This plot device later works its way into a good handful of sci-fi media, most recently in the Astra Lost in Space manga.

Toward the Terra Based on Keiko Takemiya's classic manga, the Toward the Terra movie shows an abandoned Earth. Humanity has vacated after ravaging it of its resources and only intends to return once the eco-system has realigned itself and recovered. Humanity has also evolved advanced psychic abilities but not everyone is cool with their peers being gifted so they do what you'd expect any future dystopian government to do, and kills them. This incites a rebellion, with their eyes set on returning to the abandoned Earth if they can make their way there without being slaughtered by the State authorities first. The film was released by Right Stuf, and there's also a television remake with updated character designs.

Final YamatoStar Blazers! Yamato went dormant in 1983 and stayed there for about a decade; there were no new entries in the franchise until the Yamato 2520 OAV and yet another decade passed before Dai Yamato Zero-go, another OVA. The whole franchise was 'resurrected' in 2009 and has been going strong since with new multi-part theatrical films. Final Yamato, though, was originally intended to be the end cap on the Yamato voyages. A sprawling film at 163 minutes, the crew are tasked with saving Earth yet again, this time from flooding by the planet Aquarius that is heading towards the crew's home world at break neck speed.

Ulysses 31 Originally aired in France in 1981, this co-production is a retelling of Homer's classic The Odyssey but,you know, in space! Cutey Honey and The Rose of Versailles character designer Shingo Araki provided the character designs and Macross mechanical designer Shoji Kawamori was one of four staff members listed as creating the show's spaceships. The story introduces a lot of the plot beats from the original Greek tale: a cyclops, punishment by the (space) gods, and venturing into Hades.

Space Adventure Cobra - The Movie Early sci-fi is full of memorable pirates including Harlock/Herlock and Cobra. One is the creation of Leiji Matsumoto, the other, the limitless Buichi Terasawa. Cobra is more rough around the edges that Matsumoto's cool and aloof captain. He travels through space picking up odd jobs for the right price. In this adventure, he's hired by one of the remaining daughters of the Queen Myrus from an artificial planet to save her sister Catherine from a necromancer. The film itself is very pulpy, but should be considered quintessential viewing for anyone interested in the foundation of sci-fi anime. Plus, it's the coolest-looking movie on this list.

Arcadia of My Youth Speaking of space pirates, of course I wouldn't forget the irreplaceable Harlock. Arcadia of My Youth is in many ways considered the starting point of the Leiji Matsumoto universe as it takes place before Galaxy Express 999 and the Captain Harlock television anime. The film takes place over the course of history where one Harlock after another embarks on dangerous journeys during wartime. The most recent Harlock of the 2960s is catapulted into a war to save humanity and takes on the role of a marauder. He teams up with Toshirō, a man who also appears again and again in his timeline, and Queen Emeraldas. The movie fills in how both Emeraldas and Harlock became exiled wanderers in the far reaches of space.

Lupin gets dangerously close to stealing the top spot - but Hinamatsuri can't be denied! See how your favorite shows performed in our weekly user rankings.― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Spring 2018 season and readers are rating each episode as the reviews go up. So let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season. Keep in mind that thes...

Steam unceremoniously yanked a bunch of sexy anime games, and the community exploded. PLUS: Kingdom Hearts III, a whole lotta Yakuza and much more!― Hey folks! I'm back after taking a week off. I'm fresh and ready to write about all the hot gaming news going on. Nothing on the Internet blew up in a huge cloud of controversy while I was away, did it? … Oh, goddammit. THE WHOLE HORNY GAMES ON STEAM DE...

Just who wouldn't want to have some exclusive anime goodies delivered right to their doorstep? This month, LootCrate is giving away a FREE 6-month subscription of Loot Anime to ONE LUCKY WINNER!― Just who wouldn't want to have some exclusive anime goodies delivered right to their doorstep? This month, Loot Crate is giving away a FREE 6-month subscription of Loot Anime to ONE LUCKY WINNER! Monthly a...

One reader wants to know why you never seem to see blooper reels for anime voice actors - bad takes can be fun to watch, so how come we never get to see them? Justin gets into it.― Rodolfo asked: I was watching the Panty and Stocking bloopers on youtube and started wondering if there were any original Japanese anime bloopers floating around. I couldn't find any. Not one. So i was wondering, do the ...

The illustrator for Nisio Isin's smash Monogatari novel series talks in-depth about creating the spectacular images that bring the novel series to life.― As the illustrator for Nisio Isin's smash Monogatari novel series, digital artist and photographer VOFAN has earned his reputation as a master at rendering light, creating spectacular images that bring the novel series to life, establishing a worl...

This dungeon-crawling action RPG boasts all the style of Studio Trigger's hit series, but not so much the substance. Todd Ciolek digs into this magical adventure.― It's neither original nor unkind to say that Little Witch Academia stood out on appearances. The series is a charming tale of a misfit at a magical academy, a fantasy staple since well before Harry Potter, but it might not have leapt from...

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku delivers warm fuzzy romance and anime reference humor in equal measure. Nick and Steve dig into what aspects of this romcom they see in the otaku relationships around them.― Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku delivers warm fuzzy romance and anime reference humor in equal measure. This week, Nick and Steve dig into what aspects of this romcom they see in the otaku relatio...

The adventure continues in this children's mobage adaptation with surprising ambitions. Rebecca Silverman finds out how things develop.― Just because you've achieved your goal doesn't mean that the journey's over. That's the premise behind the second set of Puzzle & Dragons X episodes to be released on DVD. The first thirteen saw Ace work towards his goal of becoming a dragon caller – the show's com...

All the details from Warner Bros' panel at Anime Central, including a look at the first episode of the action fantasy anime Dragon Pilot, coming soon to Netflix!― On Sunday May 20th at Anime Central, a representative of Warner Brothers Japan hosted a panel. During the presentation she provided previews of some upcoming projects and then showed the English subtitled version of the first episode of Dr...

Hinamatsuri and MEGALOBOX duke it out for the top spot! Catch up with our weekly user rankings - and find out how your favorite shows performed!― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Spring 2018 season and readers are rating each episode as the reviews go up. So let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season. Keep in mind that these rankings ...

It's another batch of enlightening quickies: small faces, crime in Japan, High School of the Dead and more!― Doc Fraga asked: I have wondered about this for almost 30 years. But what is the meaning of the three finger point "Sign of the devil" hand sign in anime. it's usually seen in Ranma 12 or Urusei Yatsura when someone gets knocked out. The hand-sign often associated with the devil and heavy me...

Paul enjoys a bite-sized, RPG-themed spoof of Koro-sensei's adventures in Assassination Classroom, then breaks down all this week's new anime releases alongside a brand-new Shelf Obsessed!― I got myself a Nintendo Switch last week, and my first impression of the thing was pretty darn positive. I plugged it in, turned it on, put in a game, and started playing. No insanely huge updates to download or...

This slice-of-life comedy delivers an entertaining and occasionally thoughtful package that avoids the seedier pitfalls common to the monster girl genre. Theron Martin digs in.― Riding the current wave of monster girl titles is this manga adaptation from winter 2017, which takes a somewhat unusual approach to the genre. Rather than treating its subject matter as exotic potential love interests, it a...

To celebrate the Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel] THE MOVIE I. presage flower English Dub premiere, Fathom Events and Aniplex of America are giving away a pair of tickets to 5 lucky winners!― The first film of this high-stakes trilogy explodes with epic action and heart-wrenching drama, tied together by the original author Kinoko Nasu's unique storytelling and otherworldly cast of characters. To cele...